Fantastic Beasts & The Living Myth
by DutchNeva
Summary: After all the adventures of his first visit to America, Newt thought live could use a little more rest. But a remarkable case involving some beloved animals causes Newt to return to New York, but not for long. A sharp pair of buttocks and a mysterious creature provide a way towards the future that even a magizoologist could not have forseen..
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: New York – daytime**

Among the New York's shopping audience, two characters are trying to make their way through the crowd. Bags are pushed aside, dogs bark and shopping bags fall on the ground.  
Still, this does not seem to affect the first person.

'How far are we?,' he calls frustrated to the blonde curling head behind him. The woman, who tries to slip along the annoyed eyes with a continuous flow of apologies, calls that he needs to pass two more streets.

Newt speeds up his passes. He had never expected to be back this soon, but he cannot just let this situation happen. Whatever their plan is, MACUSA is not going to succeed. Queenie runs behind him; actually, she should walk first, but running on her heels through the streets of New York is already a task!

'Right here!,' Queenie calls Newt. 'Oops, excuse me sir!'

As they both turn the corner, the big Woolworth Building rises up in front of them. Just before the entrance, Queenie graps Newt's arm and pushes him into a porch.

'You have to get in your suitcase,' says Queenie with a squeaky voice as she tries to breath. Newt stares at her, stunned. 'What? Why? My criminal record is gone and my animals are nothing to be afraid of; mrs Picquery knows that.'

Queenie is bending forward. 'I know that you are well in favor of Madam President, but that does not mean that you are welcome. Only people who work for MACUSA may enter.' Before Newt can protest, she raises her hand. 'Yes, I know: I work there. But people who serve coffee need no help here, especially not from a person whose face nobody in MACUSA will ever forget. Even if they do not recognize you, you will never go further than Mrs Picquery. She knows everyone.'  
Newt looks as he just has been shot at of a cannon. 'Everyone knows my face?,' he asks aghast.

'Of course! There are only a few people with a huge Thunderbird in their suitcase, and only one who has also protected the entire magic community for exposure! ' Queenie rises slowly and looks at Newt. 'I'm wrong: Frank is especially the star, but your face will not be forgotten any day soon.'  
Her eyes are friendly, but determined.

'It's your own choice: whether you cooperate and try to stop Mrs. Picquery, or you stay here and wait for a miracle.'

Fifteen minutes later, Queenie walks through the hall of MACUSA, with in her hand a brown suitcase. The crowds of midday have passed, allowing her to move quickly through the big hall. Without any notion of her, Queenie walks through the basement, stops in front of a small door and goes in.

In the small room she puts the suitcase on the ground and knocks on the top three times. Two seconds later the case opens.

'Where are we?,' asks Newt, as he climbs out of his suitcase.

'The coffeeroom.' Queenie is busy making coffee. Cups fly through the air and land on the tray, after which the sugar pot and milk can be added. 'The Magical Security Department is far from away from here, but the tebo is probably in one of the larger research cells, one floor above. These cells are only too much protected to get in.'

Queenie takes her tray and turns around. 'If we want to learn more about the operation, we need to get more information from Mr. Van Deijk, head of Magical Security Department. According to Tina, he left the operation last night to deliver the tebo and never returned. Ofcourse, he lets his slaves do the annoying work again,' Queenie says while shivering as she opened the door to the hallway.

Newt doesn't need more information. He does not want to know what Tina needs to do in order to hide an operation where fourteen killed were people. Whatever it is, it can not be good.

With his suitcase in his hand, he follows Queenie outside. After they have walked a few blocks Queenie stops and looks unobtrusively around the corner.  
'Here it is. I am going tob ring Mr. Van Deijk and his attendants their afternoon coffee; they have a meeting. It may take a while before I have enough information, so be patient. Try to keep yourself silent in the meantime. If somebody comes, hide in this closet'.

While she nods her head towards the closetdoor, she turns around and looks at Newt. 'Please, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone.'

Newt looks at Queenie as she walks toward the door of the office, knocks and goes in. Filled with thrill Newt waits, but before he even has to do some effort to not get bored, the door opens again. From the shadows, Newt sees that only Queenie steps out. She is watching Newt with a perplexion. 'They already left.'  
Newt is stunned. 'That means they're already in the cell,' Queenie continues. 'We could walk towards the corridor, maybe I can catch a thought from Mr. Van Dijek, so I know where they are. But even then it's a hugh task to... Newt, wait!' She runs after Newt, who has already turned around the corner. One floor higher and many attempts to stop Newt later, Queenie bumps into him.  
'Mercy Lewis, if you know something else! I said that it's impossible to get here, hmff ...!'  
'Stt ...', whispers Newt, his hand put over Queenie's mouth. 'Listen'.  
A light buzz spreads through the long corridor. It's monotonous and high, like a working fan. Slowly Newt slips toward the sound. His eyes are focused on something at the end of the hallway.  
A blue dot, small and slightly vibrant in the sky.  
'I'm almost certain ..' whispers Newt.  
'What are you certain of?'  
A few seconds later, Newt puts his arm out to stop Queenie. Curiously she peeps aroud his back and looks straight into the little eyes of a big blue bug hanging in the sky.  
'A billywig,' replies Newt.  
The animal looks at them, motionless, and then flies away, deeper into the corridor. Newt and Queenie sprint after him. 'Where does it come from? And what does he want from us?,' Queenie sputters out.  
But before Newt can answer, they hear an immense roar, so hard and close that the doors on the other side of the corridor tremble in their posts. They start to run again, after the billywig, through the right corridor, where the find a big door at the end. Without even thinking of a plan, they storm through the door and are suddenly standing face to face with a large elongated cage. A deafening sound of voices, crackling metal and infinite roar drone through the big room.  
They found the cell.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 –MACUSA – Research cell**

The research cell may be big, at the moment you wouldn't notice this. The space is literally filled with people, shouting, flaming spells and ramming metal.  
'Merlin's beard.' As a magizoologist, Newt is obviously familiar with the animal he sees in front of him. A tebo, which strangely carries the name "warthog" for both wizards and muggles, is particularly dangerous. But this amount of power, that is something even Newt couldn't predict.  
The elongated cage that stands in the middle of the room seems empty, but appearances are deceptive. The steel walls seems to be moving back and forth by an invisible creature, so intense and violent that the cage seems to shift. Six aurors are doing their utmost to keep the cage under control. Shieldspells and anesthesia are fired amongst eachother, but they doesn't seem to do anything for the tebo. Instead, the tebo screams even louder; his anger passes through the room, like as a rolling rock.  
One thing seems clear: forntunately, they're not too late.  
'What an unexpected pleasure, mister Scamandar.' It takes a lot of effort, but Newt menage to look away from the scene and turns around, with a nervous-looking Queenie following.  
Mrs Picquery stands at the end of the hall, with her MACUSA logo behind her on the wall, big and slightly moving because of all the vibration. As always she looks impeccable: her hair neatly hidden under a blue headdress, tight-fitting with her blue dress. The silver embellishments, which are continuously expanded over the front of the dress, form a structured pattern.  
Stately and beautiful at the same time.

Next to her stands a strict looking man, completely from top to toe dressed in a dark robe. His bright blue eyes are sharp and imminent and observe Newt shamelessly. Newt has a feeling he already knows who he is.  
'And how did you two come in here?' His voice sounds silent, but is clearly heard despite of the noise. Dangerously impressive, Newt thinks.  
'I expect a clear explanation, Mrs Goldstien.'  
Queenie looks confused. Her eyes move from the door to Deijk, her mouth opens and closes, looking for words. 'I'm afraid this is my fault, Roald. Their is a possibility that I did not seal the door properly when I let Mrs Ridder in the room.'  
With a nod the woman next to her confirmes the story. Mrs Ridder, a young woman with short blonde hair, is someone who Newt didnot notice before. And now he looks better at her, he cannot really understands why. Her suit is as dark as that of the rest of the group, with the magic logo of MACUSA on the chest. She is standing up straight, with her shoulders backwards, which makes her even look more stately than the president. But her bright blue eyes, which stare at the tebo filled with fascination, looks familiar to Newt.  
'Who is she?,' asks Newt Queenie, who looks just as surprised.  
Mr. Van Deijk sniffs noisy. 'As head of magic safety, it's my job to make this operation as safe as possible. And an unlocked .. '. He immediately stops when he sees Madam Picquery's raised hand.  
'I know very well what the defination of a secure operation include, Roald. I don't need a refreshers course on my own legislation. You are absolutely right about the door seal; In the future it will be noted. But since your well-trained aurors have everything under control, I think we can forget this incident.'  
Mr. Van Deijk wisely shuts his mouth, his face with a inscrutable look. Only his hands-on hands clinging the robe betrays that he can't find himself in Mrs Picquery's the decision.  
'What I'm interested in is why Mr. Scamandar and Mrs Goldstien just march their way into a particularly secret operation without any introduction?'  
"He is innocent, Madam President," explains Newt. "You have to believe me; he didn't do it.'  
"And believe me, Mr. Scamandar, that I have very valid reasons to believe that this animal is clearly responsible for a terrible act. I do not know how extended Tina Goldstien has informed you, but we are dealing with a section 4. Killing a .. '  
"A tebo does not make thin elongated cuts," Newt starts. 'A warthog has two horns that he uses to bump, causing deep cavities. Since the tebo's height does not exceed our pelvis, these bumps excisted at the highest level in the abdominal area; not in the neck, as all the victims showed. A tebo makes cavities. Deep cavities, often supplemented with full body injuries by dragging the victim around with his horns or stabbing them against a tree. No victim shows these wounds, not one of the fourteen dead people.'  
Madam Picquery stares at Newt with her face filled with horror, her eyes filled with burning fire.  
Mr. Van Deijk however looks at Newt with a mixture of anger and fascination on his face. He looks a lot like the previous head, Mr. Graves, only smaller, thinks Newt  
'In addition, a tebo should not be in Utah at all,' Newt continues, ignoring Queenie's warning kick. 'The tebo loves rainforests, filled with green, plants and water, like Congo offers him. What is an animal that lives in such a habitat doing in a mountainous landscape?'  
'You have a lot of courage, mister Scamandar.' Mr. Van Dijek's voice sounds toneless, almost hollow. 'Not only do you speak for your turn and confront us with a horrible story that even the New York Ghost would not dare to write, but you also claims that the magical security works inefficient.'  
As he talks, his gaze remains on the cage, which is continuously heavily moving.  
'No, no, I didn't mean that at all. Absolutely not...'

'Did you see the crime happen? Have you seen the victims lying down? Moaning, empty eyes, blood everywhere, helpless hands grabing around, look for something to hold, for a last resort or touch? A plain full of death and sorrow, with one living creature in the middle, furious and fierce.'  
New's face is shocked. 'I can assure you I did not mean that at all, but ..'

'Enough'. The voice of the president sounds silent and sharp, fulfilled with anger. She keeps her eyes on Newt. Eventually she closes her eyes, sighs and speaks. 'Like I said, and Mr. Van Deijk has unfortunatelly communicated so expressively, we have evidence enough that this animal is responsible for the murder of nine wizards and five No-Majs. Other explanations do not apply here.'  
She looks at Newt. Her voice is calm, her anger seems to disappear and makes room for reflection, control.  
'As you'll possibly know, the animal is known as aggressive and dangerous. Although I appreciate your explanation and compassion for the animal, I can not deny the facts.'  
Silence. An immense silence that spreads as soon as the president stops talking, like a blanket that seems to cover the hard words. Newt's head seems to fill itself with fog, which makes everything so much more quiet. Almost calm. Even the tebo's roars now seems to be just a little whisper.  
'What are you going to do with him?,' he whispers. But while he asks his question, his gaze seems to be automatically drawn to the unknown woman. And he regrets it immediately.  
A woman wearing a suit is exceptional. For many women, a dress is still the standard. Newt knows that Tina likes to wear them because it feels good. It's simple, warm, covers everything. And it's handy.

Mrs Ridder's suit has pockets, filled with materials that Newt did not notice earlier. Big knives, sharpened needles and scissors. The bumps in the front of the jacket show hidden jars, probably filled with anesthetics and paint. A thick wire protrudes from a small breast pocket.  
Tebo's are ruthless for a reason; they have something valuable. And value is dangerous. Their skin is as strong as iron, so strong that even the most powerful spells can't harm it's owner.  
Newt knows her plan. Madam Ridder's bright eyes look at Newt, as if his conclusion was heard by her. Her eyes are clear, but do not betray anything. They gaze at him for a few seconds and then move away, back to the cage.  
'You have proven us a big favour, for which we're fully grateful,' the president continues her story. 'We will therefore forget about the amount of violations you have committed from the moment you entered this room. Just take it as an acquittance.'  
Mrs Picquery slowly walks to the door.'Mrs Ridder and Mr. Van Deijk: you both know what to do. If Mr Scamandar and Mrs Goldstien insists, they may stay during the process; I do not recommend it.'  
Newt looks up; Madam Picquery's bright eyes stare tightly at him, but with something that seems to be a touch of softness in them.  
'If you stay,, I'll have to ask you to hand over your suitcase and magic wands. We can not take any risks.'  
After these words she unseals the door and disappears into the hallway, leaving a perplexed Newt and Queenie behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 – The tebo in the cell**

'What are we going to do now?'

Newt gets scared when he suddenly hears Queenie's voice. All the time, his thoughts were taken by the tebo; he completely forgotten her. Newt's eyes are still focused on the sealed door; the exit, an escape to the horrendous reality. It would be so easy: just walk through the door and leave everything behind.  
All the horror and pain that will take place in here. It can not be changed; I can not change it, Newt thinks. He looks at Queenie, who looks pale. She stands a step away from him; with a straight back and her wand ready.

'What do you want to do?' ,he replies. She looks at his face with a mixture of light anxiety and steadfastness. Such different emotions, but still so unanimous. She understands his feelings, what he means with this question. Queenie's eyes looks to the cage, the viewers and eventually to the two MACUSA members, who are still standing at the end of the room. Mrs Ridder still looks at her cage while Mr Deijk is watching them with eyes likes hawkes.

'We can not do anything to controll the tebo's fate; we both know that. But maybe you can soften his fate.'  
Her voice is whispering but clear. 'If somebody can do something, it's you.'

Newt looks at her eyelashes with raised eyebrows; his brains work at full turn.  
Queenie is right. Newt knows that. If I to free the tebo, he thinks, it will not only be my death, but also those of the people I love. If do nothing, it becomes an inner death, slow and painful.

But mental pain can be treated, deformed and ultimately handled. And that's also what Queenie knows. Newt sees it in her eyes: the determination, the strength, partly broken with bursts of sorrow from the past.

She is right: I can change something. We can change something.

His eyes meet hers and he nods. 'I'll stay.' Queenie's eyes light up a little; her mouth angles pull up slightly.

'Then I'll stay too.'

She has not even finished her sentence, or her wand is flying out of her hand, followed by Newt's wand. He quickly catches his suitcase with both hands fixed, but it's doesn't matter. The suitcase follows the same way through the air, right in the hands of the head of Magical Security.

"Give it back," calls Newt as he jumps forward and tries to push away the auror who's trying to stop him.

'As you heard Mrs President say, we can't take any risks.'  
With his own magic wand, Mr. van Deijk surrounds the objects nonchalantly with a large, transparent casket. 'Your possessions will stay collected until the operation is over,' answers the head calmly, while in the meanwhile he forms a silver lock around the closure.

'I have a potion that will slowly calm the tebo down and indulge him; so that he won't notice …'. Newt is struggling hard; he can not get the words over his lips. '... the deed.'

'I'm sorry, Mr. Scamandar," replies Mr. Deijk, raising his voice over the noise of the tebo. 'Since our 10-minute meeting is really too short to take your words in confidence, not even mentioning the disknowledge of what kind of special drink you've brewed, I can not allow that.'  
The little smile around the mouth of the man reveales that he doesn't regret anything; he enjoys it, every bit of power he has.

Newt feels a painful sting in his palm. When he looks down he sees his balded fists. His nails drill in his palm, his arms vibrates because of anger.

'You can't do that," replies Queenie. Since Newt has seen the most cheerful and positive version of humanity you'll ever meet in Queenie's person, he's quite amazed to the hate that fills her face.  
'Newt knows what he's doing; he is the only person who has come to know this animal and knows what he needs. He has the right to offer this animal his final help.'

'What rules falls under the law is my decision, Mrs Goldstien.'  
The smile around the mouth of the head has disappeared. 'And if I were you, I'd be careful. You not only infect your own name by saying this to me; remember that.'

Queenie clings her jaws together; the doubt on her face has changed into intense anger.

'And talking about contamination,' he says, his eyes on the cage, 'the longer I have to look at this scene, the more sick I get.' His face turns to the tutor next to him, still standing in the same possition and with a cool expression on her face.

Unbelievable, Newt thinks, I've never seen anyone looking so cool and steady as her. As if the whole situation doesn't matter to her; all the tumult doesn't get it at all. And maybe that's the truth; she has probably done this so often to an animal that it is routine work for her.

The one who really cares about it is the tebo, which screams and grows constantly fills the room. He is still invisible, but the moving cage clearly shows the immense energy and power of the animal.

Mr. van Dijek slowly walks towards the cage, ready to give his aurors orders, when suddenly the noise stops.  
The stream of spells reflects on the stilts of the stationary cage; eventually they stop and look fooled to the empty room. Then, slowly but surely a brown stripe appears, which quickly expands through the cage. Slowly but surely the warthog-like appearance of the tebo emerges. The tebo is silent, his strong muscles tense. His big curly horns, which are as long and dangerous as his hoofed legs, point forward toward the bars. While the visibility process is slowly completing, the tebo looks straight ahead, towards the end of room. His eyes seem to focus on something.

Newt realizes that he knows that look. _Supreme concentration, muscles tight, deep breathing: a warrior, ready to attack._

He looks at Queenie, who looks just as amazed, when the auror who is holding her suddenly falls down. Queenie screams and jumps away from the unconscious body.

Time is standing still. All the aurors grow numb, like the tebo and look with big, open eyes at their colleague. If the situation had not been so severe, Newt could laugh about it: six waxfigures, with a non-moving warhog in their midst.

'What is happing?', yells Mr. van Deijk, 'who is responsible for th - ...'  
He immediately stops talking when he gets attacked by three little blue balls; Mr. Deijk can just move away from it and grabs his wand. The rest of the aurors are doing their best to keep control over the cage with all sorts of spells and at the same time keeping the flying animals away from their boss.

Two aurors are heading towards Newt and Queenie. Queenie realizes what's going to happen; she shuffles her way back, away from the scene. She has to get her wand back.

'Hurry up!,' she yells towards Newt. But he doesn't seem to hear it. His attention is taken by something behind her.

And soon, Queenie realizes why.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 – A new appearence**

There, in the place where Miss Ridder just stood, stands a very different woman. Or better said: a half-woman; a creature.

Her face and upper body still clearly show her earlier female shapes, but with a lighter skin; almost sheeny. Her entire upper body is filled with strange, elegant signs, so placed that they neatly cover all the places that can't be seen.

But her lower body is something Newt fascinates the most. Her two legs (or paws) are covered from top to toe with something that looks like fish scales, but then hairy. The moment she bends her bare, scaled feet, that moves the muscles underneath, Newt sees that the scales seem to crawl into her feet, making the hair seem to be longer and moving, like grass in the wind . The wavy lawn of scales and hair pave a way towards her hips, where it stops around the navel and passes into a human skin. It's weird, indescribably bizarre.

Her light hair fits with those same blue eyes, still staring at the tebo, as if nothing had happened, as if she had not just changed from a female MACUSA member to a half-decorated, unknown being.

 _A semi-human being .. Well have I.. would they really exist ?!_

Her fingers make light movements, alternately bent and rhythmic, as if she is playing an instrument. Only does Newt not hear any music, but loudly cracking. The aurors look around, shrinking, looking for the cause of the noise spreading through the room; it's so hard and thundering that it seems like a whole wall collapses.  
And soon, Newt realises that his thoughts are actually true.

Large cracks are formed between the bricks of the cell walls, causing pieces of stone to slowly come loose. The pieces of loosened blocks slowly loosen and then fly with such force towards the cage and its guards that fort wo aurors evading the blocks comes to late. A small man with a curled mustache collapses together with the rocky block that hits him hard on his head. A second rock flies with such power into the belly of a tall woman that she immediatelly looks pale and falls on the ground, trying to breath. When she tries to get up, the creature makes a quick gesture to the right with her hands. The auror gets lifted from the ground and flies against the wall, which knocks out the third auror.

Newt stares at the creature, his face full of disbelief. Magic without a wand, without any kind of touch.  
In the meantime she has been fighting the crowd with hands, arms and legs movements; as a dancer, she turns on the ball of her foot, around and around, while making complicated, sharp punches with her arms, like a fighter in the arena. She evades every fired spell without effort and sends every stone that flies raglessly along her, straight to his goal.

In the middle of the chaos Mr. van Deijk, now only dressed in a half-torn suit, orders to his aurors.  
Everything goes so fast, so chaotic; the whole space seems to be in a whirlwind of voices, rocks and color, without a view of order or improvement.

When Newt feels a hand on his shoulder, he turns so fast that his feet can not keep up. While turning he catches a glimpse of his suitcase, held by Queenie's hand. As Newt's standing still, she pushes his wand in his hand.

'How did you get this?,' Newt begins.  
'That doesn't matter. We have to get out of here,' says Queenie.

Her hair is a mess, but she still looks pretty calm. Which is very notable when you realize what's next to her. Standing on his hind legs, the yellow eyes of a huge predator look at him. To his relief, Newt realizes he knows this animal: a mountain lion, or a Whamps.

'The door is sealed,' Queenie continues imperturbable. 'We have to find another exit.'

While staring at the whamps, Newt's mind suddenly comes to live; the fog pulls up and his brain finally registers why they are here.

The tebo has stopped shouting since the desmasking. He walks restlessly through his cage while the creature is dealing with her enemies, one of which raises his wand and turns towards her.

Even before Newt can lift his own magic wand, he gets pushed towards on ground, together with Queenie.  
He feels a massive pressure between his shoulder blades, as if something has fallen on him. Not even a second later, Newt sees light flashes beside him and he hears an irritated noise, when suddenly the pressure decreases. He lifts his head and sees the moved whamps lying over Queenie's back, his legs are spread. He growls at something in the air.  
The flying auror opens his mouth: 'Patrificu ..'. BAM!

Newt's spell hits the shoulder so hard that it starts to run around like a malle - just a flying swirling - and swirls out of the helm.

"Why does he fly?", Queenie's head asks between the whamp's front legs.

"Billywigs," says Newt, as he helps Queenie. 'Flying insects with angels. One brought us this room. His angel contains a levitation fluid; everyone who gets stung starts to float. '

With his magic wand in one hand and his suitcase in the other, Newt runs through the pieces of fragments towards the scene. Only Mr. van Deijk is still standing. The sweat drips from his forehead and his arms are trembling with effort, pointing his wand in the direction of the woman, who is looking at him from a distance. Her half-raised arms glisten in the light; her eyes filled with concentration.

 _Why doesn't she attack him?_

Just when Newt raises his own magic wand towards Mr. van Deijk, she attacks. A vibrating airflow reaches Newt's ears and fades his eyes; when his vision slowly comes back, Newt realizes that he and Queenie are at the other end of room, as far away from the creature as possible. A slight tintel that appears to be like a tire around New'ts waist slowly becomes looser, like a bow that is slowly released.

Meanwhile Mr. van Deijk and the woman are dueling; flashy spells against sophisticated hand movements.  
However, Newt has the vague suspicion that it is less rude than first, as if both parties don't really know what they should do.

One thing is clear: the tebo must be out of this room as soon as possible.

If someone in this building starts to get any notion from this bizar situation, within seconds half of the MACUSA is in this cell.  
Then it's game over; for everyone.

Newt makes a decision. With Queenie and the whamps on his heels, he sprints towards the door of the cage. The tebo, who is still walking back and forward, looks at them first time since the invasion. His eyes move towards the whamps, which nods almost imperceptibly. To Newt's surprise, the animal also seems to understand this; instead of dissappearnig or running towards them with his immense horns,, he turns around with a curious look in his eyes.

While Queenie fires all sorts of spells - without effect - Newt pulls a bowtruckle out of his pocket. The little leaves clings to his fingers.  
'Come on Pickett,' Newt whispers softly to the little creature. 'I know you can do this.'  
With great effort, he tries to get Pickett into the lock, but it doesn't matter. Filled with anxiety he clings his little leaves to Newt's fingers, filled with anxiety.

'Don't be afraid Pickett; It is not dangerous. It's like crawling into a tree trunk,' Queenie tries to encourage the bowtruckle. But the creature shakes his head; Pickett has always hated dirty, dull spaces.

Just as Newt almost pushed Pickett into the lock, he is moved aside again; this time just a few steps further. Next to him, the woman appears, looking at him with a strict look on her eyes. They are blue-gray, Newt thinks, with a thin black ring.

'Are you planning to poison your bowtruckle? Because that's what this lock will do with anything that's not a it's key.'

'But how can we unlock it?,' Queenie's tries to express with her voices filled with nerves.

The woman points two fingers towards the lock. While some signs onher hand and forearm lights up, her fingers make a rotating movement, after which the lock clicks open effortlessly.

While the creature slides the same fingers along the side of her hairy legs, the tebo, heavily sniffing and growling, is already coming to the door.

Newt's tongue seems stuck at his palate; so dry feels his mouth. _What's happening?_

'Come Otto, time to go,' says the creature, while she lifts her hand. She's holding a silver chain, with a small diamond-shaped pendant. While the tebo stands still in front of the opening, the woman opens the hanger and stretches her hand towards the animal. Initially Newt thinks that Otto slowly becomes invisible and gradually disappears, but soon he realizes that it is the chain that makes the animal disappear. Slowly, the chain is sucking the tebo into the pendant. When the last part of Otto's tail disappears into the amulet, the woman closes it without leaving any scratch or edge in the amulet. The woman hangs the chain around her neck.

As she checks if the necklage is closed, the creatures turns towards the group.  
'Protect them well,' she says to the whamps, which answers her claim with a nod.

'Mr. Scamandar, take care of your suitcase. Keep close together and keep as quiet as possible. Wasting more time and energy on unexpected actions is the last thing we need now.'

She runs toward the sealed door, with Newt, Queenie and the Whamps on her heels. Without touching the door, it flies open automatically. As they move through it, the whamps makes a great noise.  
It doesn't sound angry or dangerous; rather indignant, realizes Newt.

As if she can read his mind, the creature turns her face towards the whamps.  
'I know, I know,' she answers, her voice just as irritated, but still calm. 'But this passage method was needed here. One bang is already too much noise; or do you like a lot of ropes around you, just like the last time?'  
The whamps doesn't answer.

Newt doesn't have much time to think about this weird conversation; before they know it the strange party runs through the hallways of MACUSA, on their way to... to where exactly?

'Wait, this is the wrong way', Queenie yells at the creature. 'The exit is the other way.'

"I know, but we're going somewhere else,' replies the woman without looking back. Instead, she runs fast foward, her eyes focused at the end of the hallway.

'Where are w ...'. Newt's words fade away when the woman puts her hand over his mouth. With her other arm she presses gently against Newt's belly, so that he quickly stops.

'Sstt,' she whispers, focusing her eyes on the corner of the hallway. 'People.'

She sighs and lets her hand slide from Newt's mouth. 'A little earlier than I hoped. But, wel..'

Without even stretching her hands suddenly a loud blast sounds followed by a lot of shouting and runaway footsteps. Two seconds later, the footsteps of the strange party mingle with a lot of sounds; they run further through the corridor, turn left at the corner, into the next corridor. At the end of this hallway is a door, which the creature calmy inspects before opening it. Luckly, the alarm hasn't started yet.

As the woman opens the door and wants to slip through it, Newt can't wait no longer.

'Who are you?'

While her cheekbones, designed with signs, slowly turns towards him, the strictness, the only expression he has seen on her face, makes places for a gentle, almost happy expression. While the eyes of the woman met his, she replies calmy:

'Your newest discovery.'


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – The escape

Deep hidden in the MACUSA is a maze made of corridors. The dark corridors are long, with alternating doors on both sides. It reminds me of Hogwarts, muses Newt, looking at the high vaulted ceiling while running.

Richard de whamps, who runs on four paws in front of Newt, suddenly makes a quick move to the left and runs around a corner. Mrs Ridder, or whatever the name of the half-human being may be, follows him, like Newt and Queenie. According to the buzzing noise there are some billywigs in the sky.

All in all, a strange party that seems to be published out of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Newt thinks they've been running for ten minutes, at least. Meanwhile his adrenaline has taken over from his tired legs; in front of him, Queenie is doing her utmost to keep her feet straight; which is not easy if you wear heels.

'Barefoot; she walks on bare feet,' she manages to say. At last they stand still, at the corner of (of course..) a new hallway.

'How does she do that? Can she not feel anything through those scales?'

Newt looks carefully at the creature's feet. They are fully covered with hairy scales, but as far as Newt can see, the soles are as bare as his soles. He shrugs.

Standing this close, gives Newt finally a change to study the creature's strange body. From this angle he can see that the curls and lines have different colors; compared to the skin they seem to be dull, as if they become obscured. Worn out, or taken away from any kind of energy. The signs spread over the back in an alternate pattern, alternating from thick to thin, from curled to straight. But no sign seems familiar to him.

The woman looks at Richard. 'Are they disabled?,' she asks.

Richard growls lightly. From the woman's short nod, Newt can say that the sound must be a yes. What this yes stands for, is a riddle; like almost everything that has happened so far.

'How many are there?,' asks the creature while she tries to look around the corner. Two growls.

The whamps looks straight at Queenie, who shiffers.

The woman walks around the corner, followed by a curious Newt. But before he can move one step, he's pulled back by Queenie.

'I know where we are.' Her voice sounds tense. 'Mr. van Deijk chamber, his workchamber.'

Newt's astonishment immediatelly makes room for a painful abdominal feeling.

Mr. Deijk. He had forgotten about him. The strict leader who was still standing until the last moment tried to defend his mission. Newt did not know Roald van Deijk, but he was obviously a man of status. A man who loved power and liked to show this in a sadistic, inhumanly and malignant way.

Although Newt didn't like him, he would never lower himself to his level to succeed in something. How many people get along or even believe in it, Newt does not go with it. Torture and murders doesn't belong in this world, in no-one's world.

 _What happened to him? And why do I really care about it after all he did, and wanted to do?_

The Mrs. Ridder-like creature was standing at the cage so shortly after the start of the fight, that it couldn't be anything good. A short shiffer moved over Newt's spine.

Roald van Deijk's honor, probably his most valuable possesion, wiped away by one person.

While he's still thinking Queenie chatters: 'we can not be here at all! I don't know why she is here, but if anyone sees us here it's over. Then Tina and I will lose our job.'

Newt realizes this too well, but it's already to late for flights or foregiveness. And to Newt's astonishment, this doesn't matter to him. He doesn't approve everything that has happened today; something he painfully realizes. But something insidese him stops him; it's wants him to stay.

'I know, but we're already screwed,' he answers cautiously. 'We were there, and that was our own decision.'

A flash of despair extends over Queenie's beautiful face. It dissepears so fast that someone who just knew her would not see this emotion change, but Newt knows better.

She stares at him, then pulls her shoulders back and steps forward. 'In that case: let's use our own decision as good as possible.'

A few steps ahead of them Mrs Ridder stands in the middle of the dark passage, her legs lightly spread. The door she's looking at is guided by two guards, who standing straight, their hands clasped together. Their eyes are blurred, almost glistening, as if they are in a deep sleep. In a kind of trans, Newt realizes.

'What's happening?', Queenie whispers, but Newt doesn't answer. He is fascinated by the spectacle in front of him. In front of the guards, on the other side of the hallway, sits a second whamps. His yellow eyes, filled with concentration, look at the guards, his gaze moving every few secondes from one to another.

'Hypnosis. The eyes of the whamps have hypnotic powers. He uses this gift to keep these two people in control.' The woman continues to look forward as she says this to Queenie, her arms crossed. Meanwhile, Richard sits down next to the to his mate and focuses his eyes on the left guard, who starts to tremble and bends halfway forward. A count later, he is as stiff as first.

'Too much hypnosis can lead to an overdose, which can cause unwilling trembles, vomiting and ultimately unconsciousness,' Newt adds gently. In the meantime both whamps have chosen both their own guard, which gradually divides the magic.

'Would she have known that they were guards here?,' Queenie whispers almost inaudible. 'Those two men do work here for only a week.'

'Neva.' Mrs Ridder's voice sounds low and loud; apparently her ears are well trained.

'Neva? What is that?'

'My name.' She turns around, studying both faces alternately before looking at Queenie. 'There's no need to be afraid; they do not feel pain,' she says calmly. 'Right now, they enjoy another world; probably one full of parties and giggle water.

Queenie can't help it; unashamed she continues to observe Neva from top to toe. Newt can't blame her: an unknown creature who puched every person aside, one after the other, only half an hour ago, just like a devastating tornado. And now she's talking to them, like nothing happened.

If Neva even experiences the staring-act of both people, she doesn't mention it. Instead, she turns around and waits. Everyone around her, voluntarily or non-voluntarily, waits. Two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes.  
When Queenie's watch shows twelve minutes, Newt can't keep his patience anymore.

'What are we waiting for?" Neva raises her hand. not the answer Newt had hoped for.

The new whamps, so quiet that you could easily mistaken him for a grave keeper, slowly turns his head. With his yellow eyes he looks at the company. Newt, who realizes that he has clearly done something wrong by speaking, quickly puts his hand over Queenie's eyes and holds his breath. Just as his hand is pulled by an irritated Queenie, Newt sees the whamps nodding.  
 _  
No hypnosis? What is going on?_

Neva's arms suddenly move up. Her hands follow her hairline on the back of her head and finally ends her fingers between her hair, at the end of braid. When she holds her hand back up, it contains a silver hair. From a distance it's hard to see what kind of hair it is, but one thing is clear: it's not her own. Her dark hair doesn't look anything like the light variant in her hand.

Newt is wondering where she got it from; if his suspicions are correct, it could not have been an easy task at all. A demiguise doesn't just give you his hair. Far from it.

Suddenly a hugh noise sounds somewhere in the distance. The long-awaited alarm shouts a way through the entire MACUSA. Above their heads sound bumps and doors that open and close; the only ones who don't care about anything that's happening are the two guards at the door.  
Probably they are still enjoying themselves in their own world.

Next to him, Queenie starts to shake unrestrainedly; she grabs his wrist, but says nothing. Her look is focused on Neva and the whamps. With a smooth movement Neva releases the hair. Moving through the sky, like a pendulum in the wind, before Neva includes the hair with both hands.

Her hands, with stiffened fingeres, are just a few centimeters away from the hair. The whole thing makes Newt think of an invisible bubble, surrounded by a moving web of vibrating air. And how many bubbles he has seen in his life while working with grindylows and other water creatures; this isn't one of them.

Slowly, something seems to be happening.  
The vibration increases and the hair begins to rotate slowly. Newt and Queenie are both so obsessed by the spectacle that they see the two whamps when they'r already standing next to them. They have slowly slipped back, their eyes still on the guards, but too far to make clear eye contact.

The stiffened arm of the guard farest away from the, slowely falls down; the other guard blinks slowly with his eyes and then has to use all his energy not to fall down on his knees.  
They look at each other with a distorted look in their eyes, but it doesn't take long before the alarm also reaches their awakening brain. The renewed energy gradually shreds the dull shine in their eyes.  
They look quickly around them and then sprint away in the opposite direction.

'And Jules had said that these pills would not make me sleepy! If our boss hear about this..'

'If we aren't at the cell as soon as possible, you wish you could go back to your pills,' replies the long guardian to his colleague.

Their voices slowly die away. Neva runs forward and opens the door of the office. Queenie and Newt follow her; Richard and his fellow whamps take over the places of the two human guards, standing on their hind legs. Their ears tightened, their yellow eyes flashed through the hallway. Cats are well known for their immensely good hunting and their associated good listening qualities, but Newt is wondering whether even the ears of a whamp can hear above the inexhaustible scary alarm.

While Queenie looks around the room, Newt walks towards Neva, who's invating the desk of Mr. van Deijk. The stacks of files are thrown aside one by one, together with the inked goose feathers.

Newt wants to ask, but something stops him.  
He looks at the woman in front om him. So far, he described her as a being, as something unknown. But this is not true; her drive, the inexhaustible energy, the bizarre events that are so normal to her: he knows her.  
And despite the fact that he doesn't know the purpose of the woman in front of him, not even knowing her plans his expectations in part of her plan, his heart says that she is faithful.

Whether she trusts him, that's another story.

He has to be subtle.


End file.
